


Human Error

by Dawn_Blossom



Series: Chrobinweek2018 but it's all Chrom/Grima [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Grima angsts about what most people consider to be 'becoming a better person', M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 07:09:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16321517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_Blossom/pseuds/Dawn_Blossom
Summary: Chrobin Week 2018: Day 3 - Prompt: CorruptedIf hatred corrupts heroes, then love corrupts villains.





	Human Error

**Author's Note:**

> So many people are drawing and writing sad Chrom/Grima today but!!! I need them to be happy like I need oxygen!!!

Throughout history, countless humans have written countless volumes of text on the subject of life, its meaning, and its purpose. But it seems that no two people ever agree exactly. There is no single truth laid out for humans to grasp, and they cannot even agree whether or not this troubles them.

Grima has never had such a problem. There is no mystery in his creation; he was made to destroy. And destroy he would, even if it was not in the way his creator intended. But he has the power to bring down humans and dragons alike, so why would he refrain from using it? He is an equalizer, a means of razing a world warped and twisted by people’s self-serving sins.

He thought he would change this despicable world. But then Nage and her damned hero had to interfere, wasting a thousand years of his life and forcing him to reincarnate into a new body.

A human body, this time. A human body that has… corrupted him.

Things went wrong from his birth, he suspects. His mind did not wake when his soul did, and Grima has to wander the first decades of his life without any memories to guide him. Only his purpose to change this horrible world remained.

When he awakened one day with his memories, everything should have righted itself. An instant is all it would have taken to bring down Ylisse, a country formed (as all countries are) out of human selfishness. Greed is the foundation of society, and Grima had the chance to end this one in a single blow, but…

His soul has been corrupted by his human body. That is the only explanation. Because when he woke up right beside the Exalt of Ylisse, he did not attack. He did not want to attack. Instead, his body melted into the touch of a human. 

It is not Grima’s fault. If he longs for Chrom’s touch, it is because his skin delights in the man’s warmth. If he longs for Chrom’s voice, it is because his ears delight in the man’s pretty words. 

And if he aches with loneliness when Chrom is not there, it is because his body has forgotten how to bear the force of solitude. It is a weakness, and he should be fighting to overcome it.

But…

“Good morning, love,” Chrom says, brushing his fingers across Grima’s face. He does this every day, but the pleasure the action elicits never lessens.

Grima finds himself pressing a kiss into Chrom’s neck. This, too, is routine. The warm skin is not sustenance and has no business being in his mouth, but it feels so good that Grima cannot convince himself to stop.

“Robin…” Chrom murmurs. It is the name given to this body. It does not belong to Grima’s soul. But the thought of being called anything else is unpleasant. Yes, even the thought of “Grima” leaving those human lips repulses him. His very identity has been corrupted by his body. He knows who he is still, but he cannot make himself care for the distinction. “Grima” and “Robin” are nothing more than two-syllable words, so what does it matter if he prefers one to the other? But the reasoning does not reassure him, for he is certain it is a mere excuse for an action he would take regardless.

“You’re certainly awake this morning…” Chrom lets out a breathy chuckle as Grima presses another kiss against skin. “Not that I’m complaining… But we should probably be getting up about now. The Council is going to pass our new bill into law today.”

Right, the bill… It makes it criminal to knowingly trade with merchants involved with human, taguel, or manakete trafficking. It is a long-overdue measure, for though Ylisse outlawed the trade itself years ago, they were apparently more than happy to furnish their money to the same people who perpetuate it. The bill will not fix everything. It fixes very little, actually. But it will reduce the injustice in the world, if only in small part. Grima co-authored it together with Chrom, so he is certain there is nary a loophole to be found. And he knows it is only an excuse again, but isn’t Grima still changing the world? Still ridding it of despicable souls? It is not a very quick method, but he is functionally immortal; what does time matter to him?

Chrom shifts as though to move away, and a sudden growl escapes from Grima’s throat. Now he is a hypocrite, too. A second ago, time was not important, but now, with Chrom, it very much is. He needs more time with Chrom. More time just like this. It does not matter that the situation repeats itself day after day; he selfishly wants to hoard more of this particular moment.

“Oh…” Chrom wraps his arms around Grima’s back, embracing him in a way that should leave Grima lashing out to break free. But that instinct does not come; Grima feels nothing but satisfaction. “I… suppose they should not actually need us to be there…”

And so Chrom gives into Grima’s selfishness. Or, perhaps, it is his own.

“Do you love me?” Grima asks. This is the greatest evidence of his corruption. What use is there for love? What is it but an uncontrolled expression of desire? Why does he want Chrom to love him?

“Certainly,” Chrom says, his expression tender.

“I love you, too,” Grima says, because he is just as bad as every other being in the world.

Yes, Grima has been completely corrupted. He cannot deny it. His original purpose no longer compels him. Indeed, he desires that this world should _not_ be destroyed, not when it is occupied by someone he cannot bear to lose. 

And yet the fact does not bother him as much as it ought. He may be selfish… But it is through this selfishness that he has learned how to be truly happy.


End file.
